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Friday, February 13, 2015

Asharq Al-Awsat published on 13 February 2015 an opinion piece titled "The Mystery That Is Hassan Al-Turabi" by Osman Mirghani, former deputy editor of Asharq Al-Awsat. Turabi is now 83, has been the leader of Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood faction for most of his adult life, and has been in and out of jail over that same period.

Mirghani focuses on a speech al-Turabi recently gave in the presence of President Omar al-Bashir. Al-Turbi urged a return to dialogue with the al-Bashir government after a falling out in 1999. Mirghani says al-Turabi's recent actions may mark a U-turn whereby he wants his followers to reach an accord with the government. Others see a new conspiracy by Sudan's Islamists. Whatever the goal, Omar al-Bashir seems certain to prevail in office this year for another five year term.